Kyushu - Ripe For Exploration

Often over-looked by travellers, the island of Kyushu is the fourth-largest and least-explored island in Japan. With the introduction of a new direct flight from Europe and a luxurious ‘cruise train’, however, this could be about to change.

Kyushu is the most South-Westerly and outward-facing of Japan’s islands; historically it has been the first port of call for European explorers and in Nagasaki retained the nation’s only trading post throughout the years of Sakoku isolation. It also enjoys a more temperate, tropical climate than the rest of the country, and its mountainous countryside is stunning throughout the year. The island is littered with volcanoes, carpeted in deep forests, and is deservedly famous for its natural hot springs, fine local produce, and award-winning sake.

Among the best ways to explore the island may be on the recently-launched ‘Seven Stars of Kyushu’. The train is immaculately-designed: classic, golden-age-of-travel style but equipped to a typically Japanese hi-tech standard. The train runs both a 3-night and 1-night course, and immediately sold out all cabins for the next 6 months upon release.

Kyushu received less than 20,000 Western visitors last year, a fraction of those travelling to Japan's largest and most populous island Honshu. This could be soon to change, however, with the introduction of a new direct flight between Kyushu’s principal city Fukuoka and Amsterdam with KLM. This flight will dramatically reduce journey time from any region of the UK, and will also make it possible to fly into Tokyo or Osaka and out of Fukuoka for those seeking to explore Southern Japan.